Day 2: Reflection on the Marshmallow Challenge

When class started, the groups from Day 1 reassembled and spent a few minutes talking about the reflections that they wrote. I stamped the reflection sheet, so that the students know that I was checking that they did the work. (OK, I didn't really check!)

After a few minutes, I asked each group to speak to the class about how the group functioned and how the students felt during the challenge. I also had the groups talk publicly about what didn't go right and how the mistakes helped them in building the structure. Lastly, they discussed how the time/competition elements affected their performances.

Overall I thought the discussions went well for the first time. Early on there were students talking or sneaking on their phones, but a quick statement about appropriate behavior seemed to fix the trouble.

One senior noted that the freshmen tend to have trouble talking in groups, while the older students have gotten over that issue. She was/is right! Fear of looking stupid is a concern that the students must overcome.

I believe the Marshmallow Challenge was a quality first-two-days activity.

The Plan for Tomorrow...

The next group-building project is the New Planet Activity. Groups of six (or so) will debate which 10 persons from a diverse list of 30 candidates should be allowed on a spaceship to travel to a new planet to colonize. The students will have to rank their choices in order of importance, and provide reasons for their choices. The next day they will present their choices and logic to the class. More info tomorrow...

Two days in, and the class seems into the (non-math) group work so far. When will the honeymoon period end??